by Jean Feld Rissover
The Ste. Genevieve Herald, Ste. Genevieve
March 12, 2003
page 4

    “This complicates things, but we will move ahead with our plans,” says Frank Myers, president of the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, of his organizations plans for restoring Memorial Cemetery. “And it is possible that this event will urge more people to take an interest in the project and feel a greater sense of urgency.”
    The event, of course, is the recent vandalism of some 10 to 15 tombstones at the cemetery–an incident of wanton destruction that shocked those who’ve visited the site since.
    “I walked around the cemetery with Tom Vandenberg last Thursday,” Myers said. “I think we both were astonished at the amount of destruction. Some of the stones appear to be damaged beyond repair.”
    Many of the stones at the cemetery were in bad shape, prior to the strike by vandals. The Foundation had been planning to have them restored at some future date, after some major fund-raising to finance the work. Some have been missing altogether for decades.
    It is estimated that the stones damaged last week represent about 12 to 15 percent of the grave markers that still stood at the site.
    “This is a loss both in terms of an important part of our history and in terms of our plans for the future restoration,” Myers said.
    The restoration of old graveyards doesn’t come cheap. A study commissioned by the Foundation in the 1990s estimated that about $150,000 would be needed to complete the job. There has been additional deterioration in the intervening years, and the restoration of the newly-damaged stones will require a major, additional investment.
    Donations to the Foundation’s cemetery restoration project may be sent to the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, PO Box 88, Ste. Genevieve MO 63670.
    “We will be appreciative of donations of any amount,” Vandenberg said. “This is the kind of project where everyone, whatever their resources can play a role.”
    Myers said that while the most urgent need at present is for money, the Foundation is also seeking additional information about the cemetery, including old photographs.
    “It is our intention to use whatever information we can get to make the cemetery look the way it did when it was still open,” Myers said. “We want to create the same style of landscaping, put the paths in the same places, and eventually restore some of the special elements, such as the Stations of the Cross.
    “But we need assistance from people in the community who remember what it looked like 50 or 60 years ago, who have photographs or sketches that show the site, or who simply recall being told stories about it by older friends and relatives.
    “People who have that kind of information will make an important and lasting contribution to the restoration of one of the community’s most historic places.”